ARRC Technology, Author at ARRC

6 iMessage apps you’ll love

Posted on October 28, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

With the iOS 10 update, iPhone users everywhere have experienced a handful of exciting changes – like with iMessage. The new iMessage app allows you to expand on simple back-and-forth texting. You can “gently” send a text to someone, or fill up a thread with balloons or shooting stars. You can send a message with disappearing ink, or search for gifs within your thread. The updates are fun and engaging.

But those aren’t the only new additions to iMessage. You can also download apps for message integrations. With these apps, you can send money, play games, create to-do lists with friends, or slap on a sticker or two.

Here are a few iMessage apps you shouldn’t iMessage without.

JibJab

Sometimes you need more than words, more than a sticker, and more than a simple picture. And this is where JibJab comes into play. This iMessage app lets you snap a selfie and then stick that selfie into a fun animation. Send a birthday greeting, say what’s up to someone, or just be a goofball.

Grammar Snobs

This app is a sticker pack – which means you can take one of the stickers and place it anywhere within an iMessage. Just drag and drop the sticker where you want it to go. However, this sticker pack isn’t for anyone. It’s for a special type of person… the grammar snob – hence, the name of the app. This is for all those people out there who can’t stand it when someone uses the wrong there, your, or to.

Giphy

You can search for gifs inside your iMessage app without downloading an app. However, your selection is limited. To expand your options, you can download Giphy’s iMessage app. Giphy’s app taps into their nearly endless supply of gifs on Giphy.com. It’ll basically make it impossible not to respond to every text message within a gif.

Poll

Group text messages are obnoxious. And coming to a decision on where to go or what to eat makes group text messages even more obnoxious. Poll wants to simplify this. With this iMessage app, you can create a poll, send it to your friends, and quickly come to a decision on the more important things in life, like what’s for dinner.

Words With Friends

iMessage now gives you the opportunity to play games with other people inside a thread. Some games are better than others, but you definitely can’t pass up the classics – like Words With Friends. Start a game and make your move all without ever leaving your iMessage. Carry on with your day, and come back to your game when you receive a text notifying you that your friend has made their move.

Retro Emoji

This app is yet another sticker pack, but it’s pretty great. It’s overflowing with emoji in their purest form. Feeling a little angry, confused, or awkward? These stickers have you covered.

Pixel: A new, new phone

Posted on October 19, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

There’s this vast selection of smartphones out there. It’s so incredibly vast that it can be somewhat overwhelming to purchase a new smartphone. I mean, how do you narrow down all those choices? It takes like a whole two and a half fingers to count all the available smartphones out there… so how can you possibly decide?

iPhone or Galaxy? Galaxy or iPhone? Maybe a Nexu… There’s just Too. Many. Choices.

And just when we thought the choice of which phone to buy couldn’t get any more impossible to make, Google decides to just throw another phone in the mix. Thanks, Google. How. Sweet. Of. You.

But, really, all sarcasm aside… thank you, Google. The Pixel is truly a work of technological art.

Google’s whole thing? You’re going to get a new phone. But not just any new phone. A new, new phone. Like no version number new. According to CNET, this new, new phone was built by HTC but designed, engineered, and branded by Google. It’s marketed by Google, sold by Google, and then supported by Google employees – which means you get 24/7 technical support by phone or chat.

The Pixel has everything you need out of a phone – including a headphone jack (which Google thought you’d appreciate). But that’s not all they’ve included. The Pixel comes fully integrated with Google Assistant. Long press the home button or say, “Okay, Google,” and an AI-infused Google bot will take over. Ask questions and get answers in a chat-like setting and conversation-like flow.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/6pxIcH_0MH0″ width=”800″]

This phone might feel and look an awful lot like an iPhone, but it has more than a few features to differentiate itself from the ever-so-popular Apple brand. It’s offered exclusively through Verizon and comes in three colors – Quite Black, Very Silver, and Really Blue.

The Pixel even offers the highest rated smartphone camera ever. Literally. It received a DxOMark Mobile score of 89, which trumps every smartphone camera that came before it.

“The Pixel’s strong scores under a wide range of conditions make it an excellent choice for almost any kind of photography. As with any small-sensor device, results are excellent in conditions with good and uniform lighting. But in addition, images captured indoors and in low light are very good and provide a level of detail unexpected from a smartphone camera.”

A fingerprint sensor rests on the back of the phone, which provides you with quick and easy access to your notifications – without sacrificing security and privacy to do so. In just 15 minutes, the Pixel can charge for up to 7 hours of battery life and will last up to two hours longer than any iPhone or Nexus ever could.

With unlimited storage for photos and videos, you won’t have to worry about anymore “storage is full” notifications. And with Google Duo built into the phone, you have the ability to video chat with fellow Googlers seamlessly. Like FaceTime. But for Google.

Long press some of the apps, and you’ll receive the option to quick-select different activities. For example, long press the camera, and you can choose to take a selfie or a video. Long press Google Drive, and you can select to scan, upload, or search for a photo.

The Pixel boasts a 5” display with options for 32GB or 128GB of storage, and the Pixel XL boasts a 5.5” display with similar storage options. The Pixel starts at $649, while Pixel XL starts at $769. The phone isn’t exactly cheap, but rest assured, the phone is well worth every penny.

ClassDojo, the app every classroom needs

Posted on October 17, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

If we’re completely honest with ourselves, staying on top of our children’s school life isn’t always the easiest thing to do. In most families, both parents usually work full-time. And that’s only if both parents are even around to begin with. You might be a single working parent with multiple children to provide for.

Whatever the case might be, the point is that there’s always a lot going on, and even if you desperately want to be involved with your child’s school life, that might not always be possible. Between work, bills, grocery shopping, doctor’s appointments, late night dinners, and the little sleep you can manage to cram in, things are always one after the other, after the other. There just isn’t enough time in the day, and the average parent can barely remember to check their children’s backpack for week-old flyers or past-due picture day announcements.

But thanks to modern technology, the way we live our lives is changing. It’s getting easier to manage everyday tasks, and we can accomplish significantly more in less time than we’re accustomed to.

Take ClassDojo for example. This smartphone application is finally giving parents everywhere the opportunity to stay involved with their children’s education in a simplistic, user-friendly, and easy-to-manage way. Here’s how this is happening.

ClassDojo connects teachers with parents.

ClassDojo allows teachers to communicate with parents through the app’s interface. No more awkward at-work chats with the teacher over the phone, and forget about leaving work early to attend an even more awkward parent-teacher conference. If a teacher has updates for you or would like to discuss your child’s progress with you, they can send you private messages through ClassDojo. It’s as simple as that.

The teacher can even send you photos or videos of your child learning throughout the day. This way you can see what they’re working on and learn a little bit more about what their day is like. But that’s not all ClassDojo is good for. Teachers can share announcements, flyers, and class photos with all parents simultaneously. This means… you’ll always know about a school event well before the day of the event.

ClassDojo connects children with parents.

Children get excited when they work on projects. But sometimes they struggle to explain the project to you after the day is over, or they don’t receive the opportunity to bring their project home with them to show you. With ClassDojo, this is no longer an issue.

Not only can the teacher share photos with you, but your child can add photos of their projects to their digital portfolio. You can see everything your child has worked on for the year on your connected devices, and you don’t have to worry about losing or damaging your child’s hard work.

ClassDojo connects teachers with students.

This app isn’t just for parents to keep up with their children. It’s also for teachers to keep up with their students. Teachers can award students participation points and even monitor attendance and classroom behavior. Each student can become actively involved with this process and see where they need to improve, when their behavior isn’t the best, and if they need to participate more.

It’s a no-brainer. 3 reasons you should blog.

Posted on October 6, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

For every how-to question out there, you’ll find a few pages of search results on Google. I mean, for crying out loud, you can even Google, “How to drink water,” and you’ll have your hands full with content for at least a few hours.

It’s just how things are, though. Anyone can blog, and the people who are blogging will soon outnumber the people who aren’t blogging. And all you non-bloggers out there will eventually be snuffed out by all us “certified content creators.”

But, alas, at the end of the day… whether you consider yourself an avid blogger or not… routine blog postings are incredibly beneficial for your website and for your company as a whole. Which is why there are so many random blogs written over and over again by so many random companies.

But… why exactly is blogging good for business? Well, it’s simple really.

It helps you gain credibility.

When you write about things you know and things you work with every day, it can help your business improve its reputation. People will start to view your company as a credible source for information and as the “go-to” for your area of expertise. When people feel this way about your business, the more likely it is that they will use your products or services over the competition’s.

It helps you be more useful.

On occasion, the content you push out can be legitimately useful for your target market. People will not only appreciate this material, but they might actually need it, too. And if this is the case, you can use your blogs as a means to connect with more consumers. Share it on social media, email it to your prospects, or use it as reference material when current customers are struggling with things. Blogs can easily transform into an interesting and engaging way to increase your value proposition.

It helps you gather traction.

When it comes to your website, blogging is crucial. It’s one of the most well-known ways to increase traffic to a website. Using Long Tail Keywords, specifically, can improve the odds of someone accidentally landing on your site. For example, say you own a sporting goods store. If someone Googles something like, “best shoes for hiking,” and you’ve already written a blog on hiking gear, this person could potentially end up on your site… and then, inside your store.

But even if that person doesn’t end up inside your brick-and-mortar, they’ve still clicked on your blog. And at the end of the day, any little click helps. The more they click, the more you’ll rise in the search rankings and the easier it will be for people to find your business.

It’s time to free up some space with Google Photos

Posted on September 27, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

We’ve all been there before… in the moment, experiencing life to its fullest, about to snap a photo, and then… there’s this.

And out of all the selfies in the world, this was the selfie. The one selfie that would have topped all selfies ever – past, present, and future. But, alas, your phone has eaten its very last photo. And it won’t be consuming anymore until you widen its belt a little… but, unfortunately, by the time you do that, your moment will be gone. Sucks for you.

Thankfully, though, there’s a solution to your little storage problem. And unlike most solutions out there, it’s a simple one. One that actually works. And one that’s completely, entirely, and utterly free.

(Gasp)

Introducing the new and improved Google Photos.

This app is like the Holy Grail of photo apps. Free storage. Automatic organization. Instant uploads. Easy searching. And simplified space-savings. Enough said, right?

Once you download Google Photos, all you have to do is get familiar with your settings. Photos will automatically upload into the app, and you can access your photos from any connected device. From here, you will have the option to edit, delete, or organize recent images. If you do delete a photo and decide you want it back, that’s an option, too. You can recover deleted photos within a 60-day period. You just have to tap the Restore icon.

On top of that, Google Photos can also help you save space. In the settings tab of the app, tap on Manage Device Storage and the app will help you get rid of duplicates and delete photos that are already safely backed up to the cloud.

But that’s not all Google Photos is good for. This app makes it super easy to search for photos. So forget what it was like to search through thousands of photos to find that one picture of that one person from that one time.

On the search bar within the app, you can search for a word – like dog – and find all the photos with a dog in it. Or you can tap on one of the faces that appear directly below the search bar. These faces automatically populate (no need for tagging) and accumulate all the photos that you have of your mom, best friend, or that one person you keep running into at the bar. You can also search by type of media (photo, video, animation, etc.), location, or date.

Tapping, zooming, and pinching allow you to easily navigate through this app. Tap to open a photo, zoom to look at it in closer detail, pinch to un-zoom, and pinch again to close the photo. Pinch to narrow down your photos by the day, pinch again to see your photos by the month, and pinch again to see all 12 months of the year.

Google Photos is free to download and free to use, and it’s available on both Apple and Android devices.

5 office-friendly, body-healthy snacks to keep at your desk.

Posted on September 23, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

When you’re sitting at a desk all day, it’s easy to eat things you shouldn’t. And it’s even easier to eat things for no reason at all – like when you’re not even hungry. It’s just kind of what happens when you work inside a building for eight hours of every day.

Food is one of the only things that keeps you from passing out from sheer boredom at your desk. It keeps you going even when you think you can’t possibly go anymore. But… you eat the wrong types of food, and obviously, things won’t turn out so good for you. And you’ll be passing out for reasons you don’t want to pass out for.

So, to avoid all of that passing out, here are a few body-healthy, mood-lifting snacks to keep at your desk.

Almonds

These little guys are the epitome of snack food. Why? Because they’re so easy to snack on. It’s like eating a chip but without all that stuff that’s bad for you. In fact, almonds are ridiculously healthy for you. They reduce bad cholesterol, build up your bones and teeth, and help oxygen and nutrients flow through your blood. WebMD even insists that crunching on almonds can “help you relieve aggression,” which means almonds are the perfect desk companion.

Dark Chocolate

Every now and then, you want what you shouldn’t want. Cake. Ice cream. Candy. And, yup, you guessed it – chocolate. And luckily for you, you can have that chocolate and still feel good about yourself afterwards. You just have to eat the right kind… which, of course, is dark chocolate. When you eat dark chocolate, a number of things will happen. For starters, you’ll increase blood flow to the bran, improve your blood sugar, and reduce your blood pressure. It’s certainly a tasty way to treat your body (and your mood) right.

Oatmeal Packets

Oatmeal is delicious and good for you. It can lower your cholesterol and reduce constipation. Another great perk with oatmeal is that it keeps you fuller for longer… which helps with your little snacking problem. However, you do need to be careful with oatmeal. The majority of traditional oatmeal packets are overflowing with sugar and sodium. Choose your oats wisely.

Tea Packets

Drinking water all day every day isn’t always enjoyable. Sometimes, you’d just like a little variety in your liquid drinking life. But when this need for variety hits you, it’s easy to run to that extra sugary soda or super frothy $5 coffee. However, we all know where this leads us. So instead of turning to sugar and froth, keep a box of green or black tea packets at your desk. Green tea, specifically, has a whole mess of health benefits like lowering cholesterol, improving blood flow, and preventing things like high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.

Oranges

If you can manage the sticky mess, then you should consider making an orange your midmorning snack. Live Science says “a whole orange contains only about 85 calories and has no fat, cholesterol, or sodium.” Oranges are good for your heart and skin, can lower cholesterol, improve digestion, and reduce your risk for colon cancer. Be careful with how many oranges you consume in a given day, though. Eat too much, and you’ll experience the likes of diarrhea, cramps, and heartburn. And also, keep in mind that it’s better to eat the orange than to drink it.

4 smarthome gadgets to raise the value of your home

Posted on September 14, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

The concept of what a smarthome is has come far since the 1999 Disney classic, Smart House, where Katey Sagal transforms into the AI-infused mother of nightmares. However, it seems we’re closer to the Tony Stark concept of a smarthome than to Disney’s version of it. Robots and connected gadgets aim to open your blinds, tell you when you’re out of milk, and schedule your meetings. Less overbearing mother and more personal assistant.

Nonetheless, smarthome technology has become more and more important over the last few years. It can even have an impact on whether or not you decide to buy a new home. In fact, sources like CNET and Coldwell Banker have gone as far as to say that asking about a home’s smart technology will eventually be just as normal as asking how many bedrooms a home has or what type of stove comes with it.

At this point, one in four consumers already own at least one smarthome product, and over 85% of consumers value the technology. So if you should expect anything from smarthome technology, it would be that these numbers will only grow. This means that if you want to improve the value of your home, then you’ll need a few smart gadgets to help you do it. Here are a few you should definitely keep an eye out for.

Alarm System

Nearly all smart alarm systems can be installed on your own and come free of contracts. A system will run you about $250 initially and then you’ll pay a monthly fee for monitoring services. For example, SimpliSafe’s basic security system starts at $229, takes about 15 minutes to set up, and costs $25 a month for 24/7 monitoring and alerting. It connects to your Wi-Fi, and you can control passwords, view alerts, and update safe words directly from the SimpliSafe app. If you ever decide to move, you can quickly uninstall it and take it with you or you can choose to leave it for the next residents.

Thermostat

Smart thermostats automatically adjust the temperature of your home and do what they can to save you money. They can learn your habits and pick up on your preferences. There are several smart thermostats on the market, but the one that probably comes to mind for you is Nest. The Nest Learning Thermostat costs $249 and comes with features such as Auto-Schedule (programs to your preferences), Auto-Away (turns off when no one is home), Nest Leaf (shows you how to save money), and Farsight (lights up when you walk by).

Smart Doorbell

Smart Doorbells are the latest trend. And for good reason, too. A video doorbell, like Ring, will let you see who’s coming and who’s going. Whether someone rings your doorbell or simply passes by your door, your phone will receive a notification. You can answer the notification and speak directly to the person at your door. You can tell the delivery man that you’ll be right there, or you can avoid a pesky neighbor. The choice is yours. The Ring Doorbell starts at $199 and comes with a simple smartphone application.

Kitchen Appliances

Kitchen appliances will always be a major deal in a home. And nowadays, appliances are only getting smarter. The newest and most advanced smarthome appliance would have to be the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator. This bad boy will set you back $4,000 (depending on where you’re buying it from) and comes with a touchscreen display, a smartphone application, and a camera to help you figure out what you’re running low on.

Keep your social media strategy strong with these 4 tips

Posted on September 6, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

If your business isn’t on social media, then you’re making a mistake. And if your business is on social media but it’s not active, you’re also making a mistake.

Social media plays a critical role in more areas than just marketing. A consumer might visit your Facebook page looking for directions before they visit your website, and they might reach out to you on Twitter before they contact your customer service line. This is because it’s much easier to open an app and search your name then it is to Google your business, sift through the results, and wait for your page to load.

So to ensure you’re always there for your consumers when and where they want you to be, here’s what we suggest.

Post Regularly

If someone jumps on your Facebook profile or takes a look at your Twitter page, you want them to see something other than nothing. When they see nothing, it’s easy for them to assume things – like that you’re not a legit business or that you’ve recently gone out of business.

To avoid negative assumptions, make sure you post content on a regular basis. If you use an app like Buffer or Hootsuite, this shouldn’t take a lot of time. These apps allow you to post to multiple social platforms at one time. You can even preschedule posts in a customized calendar. For example, you can create a month of content, input it into your Buffer account, and then schedule this content to go out every weekday at noon.

Assign Someone

It’s alright if you have multiple people contribute to your social media content, but you should definitely assign one specific person to be in charge of responding to all comments and messages. If you don’t assign someone to this task, a few things could go wrong.

For starters, it can lead to unnecessary confusion. No one’s quite sure who should respond, so no one responds. Or, what could potentially be worse, is when multiple employees respond to the same message. Each employee who responds might offer up different information, which will only make your business look disorganized and unprofessional.

Respond Quickly

You should always respond to comments and messages as quickly as possible. These days, people are all about that instant gratification, and if it takes you three days to respond to a Facebook message, you might face some hostility at that point.

If you do have someone assigned to social media responses, give them a timeframe. The sooner they can respond, the better. So if at all possible, have this person respond to everything within a day. It also doesn’t hurt to list this timeframe on your social profiles somewhere. It could be something like this:

All messages are responded to within 24 hours.

This just helps consumers feel more comfortable reaching out to you and gives them an idea of what to expect from your business.

Pick Two

One platform simply isn’t enough. Your business should be on as many platforms as possible, strategically speaking. Keep in mind that Snapchat isn’t for every type of business and neither is Instagram.

A good rule of thumb is to have your business on at least two platforms, and Facebook should always be one of those. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are the heavy hitters. Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and YouTube follow closely, but they only make sense for certain types of businesses. For example, Instagram is good for fashion, food, and photography, and Snapchat can be used by educators, lawyers, or makeup artists.

5 tips to help you improve and simplify your website

Posted on August 26, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

You only have an average of 15 seconds to capture the attention of your online audience. And in a world where your website could very well dictate the need for an in-person visit or an online purchase, this 15-second challenge can seem AB.SO.LU.TELY terrifying.

At first.

You see, the key to building a great website – one that captures and maintains the attention of a person – is to keep things simple. Too often, businesses feel the need to overcomplicate their website. They bombard users with too much content, and they give away unnecessary information just for the heck of giving it away.

But when things are simplified and all that stuff is streamlined, it’s easier for people to engage with your content. Your website suddenly becomes easier to read, easier to maneuver through, and just easier in general, and because of this, overcoming that 15-second challenge has become an actual possibility.

Why? Because everything is easier. And when things are easier, people are happier.

Here’s what you should keep in mind when improving your website.

Contact Information

Your phone number, location, and email address should be the easiest thing to find on your website. It should be within one click of the homepage and should be found somewhere near the top of the page. Consider placing the phone number on the homepage and making it clickable, as well. This way, if they’re on a phone, they can tap to call.

When they get to the Contact Us page, don’t give people any more than what they need – phone number, location, and email address. You can also include hours of operation and maybe a map of where your brick-and-mortar exists. This is not the place for an introduction to your business or a detailed history of your where, what, and when. This is the place where a consumer has made up their mind to contact you – so don’t ruin it.

Photos

The photos on your website are, in many cases, considered more valuable than your text. People want images. But not just any images… good ones.

High-quality, relatable photos are the ones that will make the most impact. They will draw the person in and basically force them to read your content. Which is what you need.

It’s crucial to think outside the box here, though. Just because you’re an accountant, doesn’t necessarily mean you need a photo of a spreadsheet or two people discussing numbers at a desk. Get creative and think in terms of what will spark the most interest.

Text

Bullets. Short descriptions. Simple words. Conversational tones. These are the things that work now. People don’t want huge paragraphs, and they don’t want to open up the dictionary just to read your website. Keep your content informational but engaging and user-friendly.

When it comes to text, you should also remember to keep it as user-centric as possible. Focus on the customer rather than your business. You’re not just selling a service or product… you’re solving a problem. Remember that, and you’ll go far.

Roadmap

Your navigation should be straightforward and streamlined as much as possible. If you offer a variety of services, do your best to narrow these down to four or five core services. If you sell products, make sure these are categorized in a logical way.

If a consumer has to work too hard to move through your site, then they’ll be gone way before that 15-seconds is up. And if they have too much stuff to look through or have trouble understanding where to find specific items, then your site has crossed a not so pretty line.

Social Media Icons

scyther5 / Shutterstock.com

Whether they’re on the side, near the menu, or on the footer of your website, you need those social media icons. And if you don’t have a need for social media icons, then you have yourself a problem.

Either way, social media icons are a must for any professional website because your social media profiles are the logical next-step for a person seeking out your services. If you have them on your website and they’re easy to get to, then you’ve made things – yup, you guessed it – easier. And when you make things easier for the consumer, they suddenly like your business more.

6 apps every smartphone user should download

Posted on August 24, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

There are some apps that no smartphone user should ever go without. They’re beautiful. They’re free. And they’re here for the long haul.

Snapchat

Snapchat is the one that got away – from Facebook that is. This social media platform is unlike any other and is only rising in use, popularity, and potential for engagement. And even despite Instagram’s bold attempt to copy Snapchat’s most well-known feature (self-detonating stories), there’s no replicating Snapchat’s modern appeal to people of all ages.

Prisma

This photo-editing app is the coolest thing on the market right now. The public just can’t get enough of it. Transform your everyday selfies and photos into works of art (whether you’re online or not) and stand up to the likes of Van Gogh and Picasso.

Messenger

Messenger is the Holy Grail of messaging apps. Owned by Facebook, you can chat with friends, video call contacts, send money to a coworker, or call an Uber after dinner. The possibilities grow with each passing day, and Facebook hopes Messenger will one day become the ultimate AI-hub for everything and anything.

Duo

Google has an entire arsenal of apps, just sitting there, waiting for people to use them. But Duo is the video calling app from Google that people will actually want to use. It’s simple to use and automatically adjusts your call to keep the connection strong. There’s even a feature known as Knock Knock that lets you see what the other person is doing before you answer the phone.

Glympse

This location-sharing app is so simple it’s genius. Meeting a friend for lunch? Trying to let someone know when you’ll be there? Want to show your family how far away you are? Just pick your contact, set a duration, and hit send. Your friends and family will never again have to send a text asking where you are.

ibotta

You’re going to buy a carton of milk anyways. So why not get paid for it? Ibotta is the greatest app ever because it pays you to shop. Unlock items (or even rebates), verify your purchases, upload your receipt, and then collect your cash in less than 24 hours. Once you get up to $20, you can send the money directly to your PayPal account or transfer it to a gift card. Ibotta works with major brands, so you may need to watch a 30-second ad or answer a question to unlock a purchase. But it’s well worth the minimal effort.

4 simple ways to create a more productive office

Posted on August 17, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

Simply put, workplace productivity is a crapshoot. Your ability to remain productive hinges on so many random, off-the-wall, and sometimes contradictory factors that you never know what you’re going to get for the day.

It could be a burrito you ate for dinner the night before or a coworker who had a rough morning and decides to talk about it for the next eight hours. Whatever it is, these sorts of situations can take your productivity and make it look like it never even existed.

But if you expect to keep your job, then nonexistent productivity is something you should probably consider avoiding on a semi-regular basis. And if you have any shot at doing this, then you need to learn how to perfect those elements of working that you can actually control… such as your physical working space.

The space you work inside of can affect your mood, energy, and physical self. It can make you feel really good about where you’re at and what you’re doing… or really terrible. But luckily for you (and every other working person out there), creating a productivity-inspired workplace really isn’t all that hard. Here are a few elements you should look for.

Light

If at all possible, you should work around as much natural light as you can. It can help keep you alert. However, this isn’t always doable. For instance, you might work primarily inside an office that’s smackdab in the middle of the building. If this is the case, what type of work you do will determine what type of lighting will help your productivity.

Lifehack says you should consider lighting as just another facet of ergonomics, and it should change as your tasks change. For example, there are bulbs designed to imitate daylight, others geared towards detail-oriented work, and even more meant to soothe and relax. In other words, you might require a combination of different light bulbs – For example, the room is lit with a daylight bulb, but there are several lamps around the area equipped with halogen bulbs.

Temperature

When it’s too cold, it’s hard to remain focused on your work. Why? Because your energy is spent trying to keep your body warm. So if your office is typically kept on the below-freezing side, consider keeping a small blanket at your desk or even a heater. Staying at a comfortable temperature throughout the day will help you make less mistakes, and it will give you the ability to channel your energy into more important matters.

Plants

Plants are great, especially if you work inside a building and rarely see daylight. Place a few plants around your office and on your desk, and everyone will notice the change. Research suggests that a little green at the office can decrease stress, save you on energy expenses, limit sicknesses, and reduce noise distractions.

Technology

Everything from the software you use to that mouse you click can have a drastic effect on how productive you are. If the technology you rely on to complete your work tasks is inefficient and out of date, you will also be inefficient and out of date.

Do your very best to keep your technology in prime working condition, and your business will be better off. Depending on how many employees you have, the resources you have available, and the type of work you do, this process might involve an outside company. For a small to medium-sized business, hiring a Managed Services Provider to handle your IT typically equates to the cost of a part-time employee. That’s not such a huge price to pay for a well-oiled machine.

Everything you need to know about Two-Factor Authentication

Posted on August 15, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

Over the last few years, passwords have become less and less effective at securing online accounts.

People have become lazier – creating one really simple password and then reusing it for every account. Hackers have become smarter – finding new ways every day to better target people. And the internet itself has transformed into something no one ever knew it would be – making the concept of a password something outdated and unsuitable.

But thankfully, the digital world is finally starting to come to its senses, and new ways of protecting your online accounts are beginning to surface. The leader of this pack would definitely have to be Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

What is Two-Factor Authentication?

Two-Factor Authentication requires you to verify two separate factors to access an online account. These factors usually include one of the three following categories:

Knowledge: something you know
Physical: something you have
Biometric: something you are

Although this might be called by a different name (like Two-Step Verification), there are many online services that offer 2FA. Twofactorauth.org is a simple website that allows you to search for any site that currently offers this security feature, and it provides step-by-step instructions on how to implement it for your account.Together, these factors can work to authenticate who it is that’s logging into your account. It acts as a second layer of security and makes it more difficult for a stranger to access your information.

What methods of 2FA are available?

Most people are familiar with SMS Two-Factor Authentication, but there are more ways 2FA can play out. Here are some of the most popular 2FA methods:

Google Authenticator – This smartphone app uses “something you know” and “something you have.” You’ll be required to input your username and password and then asked to input a verification code. This code is texted to your phone upon entering your username and password. Unfortunately, this method can only be applied to mobile apps made by Google – like YouTube and Gmail.

Authy – This app works across multiple connected devices and for a variety of websites. Register all of your devices to Authy and login to your accounts quickly with a text message verification code. You can even choose to have a simple yes or no question sent to your phone to approve the login.

Email Verification – This method works like an SMS verification code would work, but the code is sent to your email instead. Security experts claim email is a more secure alternative than SMS because text messages can easily be intercepted.

Biometrics – We don’t see biometrics that much right now, but this will probably change sooner rather than later, especially with the iPhone’s fingerprint scanner. But a biometric identifier doesn’t necessarily have to be a fingerprint; it can be a retina scan or even speech recognition.

Denys Prykhodov / Shutterstock.com

LastPass – Download LastPass on your phone, tablet, or desktop, and your passwords will autofill into accounts. However, to make things extra secure, premium LastPass users have access to its version of 2FA (otherwise known as multifactor authentication). With this option, you can use LastPass AND a vendor like Google Authenticator, Duo Security, or YubiKey.

Physical Key – Since we brought it up, YubiKey is entirely different method of 2FA. It actually involves a physical USB that acts as the second method of verification. Plug the key into your laptop or computer, press the button on the key, and sign into your account.

Is 2FA really a safer way to protect your accounts?

There is no possible way to secure your online accounts completely, and 2FA is not 100% secure. But at the end of the day, it’s better than the alternative. Although that second step can be seen as an inconvenience, it’s worth that extra layer of security.